Real Madrid News
Real Madrid ‘one step away’ from signing in-demand defender on a free transfer
Real Madrid are one step away from signing Chelsea defender Antonio Rudger on a free transfer, claims a report from English media outlet Sky Sports.
Rudiger, whose current Chelsea deal expires at the end of the season, is being monitored by some of the top European clubs, which potentially include Real’s La Liga rivals Barcelona as well as the Premier League giants Manchester United.
As for Real, they have been chasing the German for months but were forced to put off due to his exceeding salary demands. As things stand though, his agent has accepted to lower the number, and the new figures are very much within the team’s reach.
It is believed that Carlo Ancelotti admires Rudiger a lot. The manager, in fact, had a meeting with Florentino Perez last Friday to present where exactly the team needed reinforcements.
And one of the players, in that regard, he pointed out, was Antonio Rudiger. That because the defender is certain to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, meaning that the only fee Madrid will have to pay is the general operational costs, including the agent’s fee, and his salary.
The manager believes Rudiger’s arrival will ease Madrid’s defence to a great extent. Through this, he will be able to move David Alaba to the left-back spot so that he can act as a cover for the injury-prone Ferland Mendy and Marcelo.
At the same time, however, Real are aware of the interest he has generated through his situation at Chelsea. While the Blues are already pushing for him to sign a new deal, there is also interest from the likes of PSG and Juventus, which could rightly hinder Madrid’s pursuit.
But as quoted by Gianluca Di Marzio, the only reason why the player accepted to lower his salary was due to Real’s interest. If it was only for the wages, Manchester United made the biggest offer while PSG & Juventus were in line too.
The three teams, however, fell short of agreeing on a deal.
Real Madrid are looking towards a heavy splurge in the coming summer transfer window. After all, they do not even have another option given the sheer number of player departures already finalized.
Los Blancos have lost the services of Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio, Mariano Diaz, and Eden Hazard over the past week. While three of the four players predominantly featured on the bench, their presence in the squad gave Carlo Ancelotti’s side much-needed depth and a cushion of sorts.
The forward unit is, thus, the most prioritized department ahead of the transfer window. However, pieces are beginning to fall apart on other fronts and could potentially put the club in a difficult situation.
According to reports from Gianluca Di Marzio, Juventus are eyeing Lucas Vazquez and hope to sign him in the coming month. Contacts between the two parties have begun and the transfer fee discussed appears to be around the €6 million to €8 million ballpark given that he has just one year left on his contract.
The player, for his part, is willing to sign for the Italian giants given his relative lack of minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu. At 31 years of age, he understandably does not want to play a second-fiddle role.
Vasquez played part in 23 of Real Madrid’s 38 La Liga games last season, starting only on 12 occasions. Even in his few appearances, he averaged a mere 50 minutes per game.
The veteran completed the season with four goals and an assist to his name. Further, he averaged five defensive actions and a key pass in every game and feels hard done by his limited role.
Vazquez’s departure would place the club in a tricky situation as it would leave Real Madrid with only Dani Carvajal as a natural right-back option. Nacho Fernandez could, in theory, serve as the backup but a new signing for the position cannot be ruled out.
